


Caedbeanna

by Nelly-Belly (Nelleri)



Series: Cáerme [2]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Anal, Dragon!Levi, Dragons, Dryads - Freeform, M/M, Magic, Prostate Milking, Witcher AU, Witcher!eren
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-09
Updated: 2015-09-21
Packaged: 2018-04-13 17:44:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4531206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nelleri/pseuds/Nelly-Belly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <b>Woman of the Forest</b>
</p><p>Levi and Eren begin their journey together in search of the dragon mother. A chance meeting on their way will veer their adventure in a slightly different direction than they were expecting...</p><p>[Definitely recommend reading part 1]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Oh my god I'm so sorry I took so long to start posting part 2... Summer school is turning out to be a LOT more demanding than I thought x_x 
> 
> Chapter 1 and we startin out strong with some smuttttttttttttt~

Eren sighed angrily as he reset one of his traps for the umpteenth time. They had been travelling for three days northwards in search of the mother of the baby dragon he and Levi were transporting. Eren had always managed to catch at least one small forest animal for them to eat for each meal, but he was having no luck on this particular day.

They had stopped nearby a stream for lunch, and Eren was now wondering if he’d be better off using his rusty fishing skills seeing as the furry inhabitants continued to outsmart his makeshift traps. Once he finished resetting the trap, he stomped his way back to the stream where he’d left Levi to watch over the dragon whelp, whom they’d affectionately began referring to as “the kid.”

The witcher grumpily shouldered past a low lying branch, earning some shallow scrapes on his arm in the process. Just as he was about to let out a curse of frustration, he caught sight of Levi and all the annoyances of the day slipped his mind.

The man was sprawled across a rock near the water’s edge, completely nude. In the sunlight, his pale skin seemed to almost glow in white radiance. Eren approached slowly, not wanting to disturb the tantalizing vision in front of him.

Levi heard him approaching and lazily rolled onto his stomach, raising his head to rest on his palm and leveling the witcher with a drowsy stare. “Any luck?” he asked.

Eren swallowed, kneeling in front of the man while shamelessly roving his eyes over the milky backside. “No…” he mumbled, “Why are you naked?”

Levi grinned wittingly. “Cold-blooded… Need to regulate my body temperature. I was never able to sun bathe like this when Mikasa was around.” He made to rise up to his hands and knees, but Eren caught the wince of pain on his face before he settled back down.

Concern getting the better of his arousal, Eren asked, “Are you alright?”

Levi nodded, folding his arms under his head. “Fine. My legs and ass are killing me, though. Not used to such long rides…”

The witcher chewed at his lip. He and Levi hadn’t had any time for intimacy since that first night they had alone in the cave. The dragon whelp’s sleeping cycle was sporadic, and he would cry out for attention at the least opportune times. The past two nights, he wouldn’t even fall asleep until Levi had bundled him up between the two of them.

“Where’s the kid?” Eren asked quietly before making any move.

“Asleep. Wrapped him in some blankets, and set him in a tree hollow.”

The witcher’s heart pattered quickly in his chest. They finally had a moment of privacy, and here was Levi laying with the entirety of his sinuous body on display. He shuffled forward on his knees, keeping his eyes trained on Levi’s skin before hooking one leg over to straddle the man’s lower thighs.

Levi didn’t move, but Eren was sure there was a hidden grin on his face. Eren leaned over him, placing his palms on Levi’s upper back and digging his thumb into the muscle between his shoulder blades. He heard a soft sigh leave Levi’s lips and had to fight down his sexual frustration at the sound.

Applying steady pressure, he trailed his fingers down along the spine in a slow glide. Eren noticed the warmth in Levi’s skin, a clear contrast to how he normally felt now that he thought about it. He’d always appreciated the coolness Levi seemed to radiate, never thinking to account it to his cold-blooded biology.

When his fingers reached the curve of the man’s buttocks, he lightened the pressure and trailed them down to his thighs where he applied pressure renewed. Levi squirmed underneath him slightly, undoubtedly wanting more attention on the tired muscles of his rear.

But Eren set his fingers to work on the upper muscles of Levi’s thigh instead. His hands worked reverently on the soft, warm flesh in slow circles; pushing and squeezing away the built up tension from constant riding on horseback.

In due time, Eren moved his hands back up, unabashedly smoothing over Levi’s supple but firm ass. Levi groaned low in his throat, an almost guttural sound that made Eren’s fingers push harder into the muscle. He slid his fingers in an outward circle, causing Levi’s cheeks to spread and revealing his wrinkled entrance between them.

The witcher felt the pulling throb of arousal in his groin and tightened his hold on Levi’s cheeks as he stared down at the man spread in front of him. Levi let out a sound of frustration as he tried raising his hips, but Eren was so in enthralled by the sight he barely noticed.

Levi peeked over his shoulder and glared at Eren before calling to get his attention, “Oi… This rock isn’t the most comfortable thing to get an erection against, you know.”

Eren swallowed, finally breaking his gaze to look up at Levi’s flushed face. “Ah. Right, sorry.” He rose up on his knees, allowing space for Levi to turn over onto his back. The man sat up and threw his arms around Eren’s neck. His eyelids lowered as he murmured, “How about you take me somewhere a little more comfortable?”

The witcher circled his arms around the smaller man’s waist, effortlessly pulling back as he stood and taking Levi’s weight with him. He hoisted Levi into a more comfortable position, the man assisting by winding his legs around the witcher’s waist.

As Eren walked them to softer ground, Levi licked a languid stripe just under Eren’s jaw. He hummed into the wet flesh before sucking lightly, his hips canting forward into Eren’s abdomen.

The witcher bit his lip as he tried to focus on his balance and not the concentrated ball of sex appeal in his arms. Still, he found that one of his hands had lowered to grip and knead at Levi’s ass as he walked.

The moment his foot hit something other than rock, he kneeled to set Levi down, immediately leaning forward to connect their lips. He tried to urge Levi to lay down by shifting his weight into him, but he felt Levi resist. He cracked his eyes open in confusion at the man.

“Oil, remember?” Levi answered the unspoken question.

_Right…_

The witcher quickly rose to his feet and scurried to their horses just several yards away. While he rummaged through his saddle bag he wondered if Levi recalled his promise that Eren would be the one to be on top this time.

His eyes locked onto the bottle of honeysuckle, now half gone, and he hurried back to Levi with the vial in his grip. When he returned, Eren was promptly assured that Levi had indeed remembered his words. He was on his knees, hips raised and his head resting on bent forearms. His smoldering silver gaze added to the wicked heat coiling in Eren’s body.

“Gods…” Eren breathed, “You look…”

He couldn’t find a word to fully describe just how incredible and irresistible Levi looked, but Levi seemed to appreciate the effort if his smirk was anything to go by.

The witcher had to remind himself to loosen his hold on the vial in his hand, lest he crush it in his mindless grip. He strode forward, only breaking eye contact with Levi when he circled around to his behind. As he lowered himself to his knees, Levi spread his legs and arched his back, putting his most succulent parts on display.

Eren couldn’t resist. He set down the honeysuckle oil in favor of grabbing hold of Levi’s pale cheeks, spreading them even further before ducking his head down low. He trailed his tongue up twin globes hanging between the man’s thighs. Levi let out a breath that quickly became a soft moan when Eren pressed his tongue firmly against his perineum.

He tasted clean, and Eren suspected he must have dipped into the stream and scrubbed away the sweat of the day’s ride while he was off resetting his failed traps. He wasn’t sure if he was glad or not; deep down he felt a little disappointed at not being able to taste the man.

Levi was pushing back against his tongue, subtly asking for more, and Eren eagerly obliged, closing his lips to press a kiss to the tender flesh before darting his tongue out once more and licking a stripe to the man’s hole. He heard Levi humming low in his throat in approval as he began drawing wet circles around the entrance.

Leaving one hand to grip at a pale cheek, Eren moved the other between Levi’s thighs. He pressed his thumb against the skin just under Levi’s hole, while his other fingertips teased at his balls. He would have been more than happy to continue playing at Levi’s body, but the man interjected.

“Eren, Gods help me if you don’t get inside me before we’re _interrupted_ …”

And just then Eren remembered that at any moment the baby dragon could wake and he’d lose this opportunity. He drew back and grabbed the oil bottle to apply it to his hands, dousing them maybe just a bit too much in his haste. The flowery scent only reminded him of their first night and made his lust burn even hotter. He brought his now dripping fingers to Levi’s skin, reveling in how the entrance twitched and glistened as he ran a digit across it.

More than anything, Eren wanted to take his time and reveal every little quirk the smaller man’s body had to offer, but he knew now wasn’t the time for that. And so, with just a bit more pressure, his middle finger slid inside.

Levi’s body had gone still, and Eren wondered if this was as uncomfortable for Levi as it had been for him that first time. He drove his finger in further, down to the last knuckle, and set to kissing gingerly at the man’s behind, his other hand reverently running from his ass to his thigh and back.

He began working his finger in and out, trying to recall how Levi had worked him open. As he built up a rhythm, he noticed Levi beginning to move as well; his hips twitching in small, circular motions.

“Put in another…” Levi said, and Eren noted the breathiness of the man’s tone.

Swallowing down the burning arousal that was screaming at him to just take the man, Eren pulled his finger out before driving back in with two. Eren stilled, wanting to give the man a moment to adjust. Not even a second passed before Levi leaned forward and then pushed back, groaning as he began riding the witcher’s fingers.

Eren sat back and watched in awe as the man shamelessly rutted on his hand, that tight hole sucking his fingers into its heat. The movements were sloppy, and a few times his fingers nearly slipped out, so he moved his hand to a better angle, his fingertips pressing downward.

Levi’s back bowed and his thighs trembled as he hummed his pleasure. “Now, Eren…” he breathed.

Not needing to be told twice, Eren removed his fingers and untied his pants, pulling out his erect member and slicking himself up. He set a firm grip to Levi’s hip with one hand, while the other lined himself up. Playfully, he ran the tip of his cock up and down over Levi’s hole, enjoying the feeling.

Levi grunted and tried to press his hips back, but Eren held him still. Finally, he pushed forward until his cock breached that waiting ring of muscle. He had intended to take it slow, move in and out while slowly going deeper just as Levi had done with him, but the moment he felt the tight heat of Levi’s body, he couldn’t stop. He sunk himself deep inside in one languid thrust, his fingertips bruising at the man’s hips.

“Fuuuuuuck…” Levi groaned as he was filled.

When Eren was fully seated, he didn’t ever want to pull out. He curled himself over the other man’s body, arms wrapped around his chest as he ground his pelvis into him.

“Ah… Levi, you’re so warm inside…”

Levi craned his head back with a low whine, desperately trying to make friction with the movements of his hips. Eren nuzzled into the side of Levi’s neck as he finally decided to withdraw, immediately ramming back in and repeating the motion. The slapping of skin and the slick noises from the oil were driving him mad, as if the overwhelming tightness and warmth around his arousal weren’t enough.

“Levi… Gods…” Eren was panting; he almost couldn’t hear the strained moans falling from Levi with each thrust. But the minute vibration of the witcher’s medallion at his chest certainly caught his attention. It was something that usually meant danger; magic is being used.

His instincts screamed at him to go on the defensive, but something cool and smooth wrapped around his waist and was insistently pulling him towards Levi.

“What… what the hells…” the witcher murmured. With a violent shock of lust, Eren realized what was happening. Levi’s dragon tail had come out, and in a subconscious attempt to keep the two of them joined, had coiled around him.

Looking down, he could see Levi’s shoulders shaking in the strain of his desperate arousal. Drips of sweat were trailing down his back. The smooth gradient of scales that began at the base of his spine, developing into the slender tail that was flexing rhythmically; urging Eren to continue his thrusting.

“Er-Eren… Don’t stop… please… gods please…” Levi _begged_.

Levi was coming apart at the seams under him; completely losing control. And Eren moaned in a low grumble at the sight. His thrusts became instantly harder, almost brutally so. Slamming into the smaller man relentlessly, listening to the wrecked moans devolve into almost hiccupping, wanton cries for _more._

He could feel the tension rising in his groin at an alarmingly rapid pace, and he quickly lowered a hand to grip over Levi’s dripping cock, while his other hand layered over the balled fist Levi was using to hold himself up. The fingers under his own spread, and their hands joined in a desperate grip. He wanted Levi to cum first. Eren could feel Levi’s walls fluttering around him, and he knew the man was close, but the sensation proved to be too much for the witcher.

Burying himself deep, he groaned low and loud as he released inside Levi, spurt after spurt. Under him he felt Levi tense up and press hard back against him, that tail squeezing at him so tight he nearly couldn’t breathe.

“Shit… Yes, Eren… fill me… fill me up…” the man gasped right before Eren felt his cock throb in his grasp, accompanied by a broken moan as Levi spilled onto the ground below him. Eren could feel the ring of muscle around his own cock twitching as Levi rode out his orgasm and he leaned back against the strain of Levi’s tail, pulling out so that just the sensitive head of his cock was breaching the hole.

He watched, fascinated, as Levi’s entrance pulsed around him, trying to suck him back in. A shudder ran through him at the sensation, and he brought his fingers up to trace around the fleshy,wet skin around his tip, his own seed beginning to drip out. Levi gasped and bowed his back as his tail released the witcher, causing the softening member to slip out.

The witcher grabbed the man around the torso and brought them both down onto the ground so that they were lying on their sides. Levi’s back was pressed snugly against his chest, except for where Levi’s tail protruded, which was now draped lazily over Eren’s hip. He allowed his hand to trail mindlessly up and down the other man’s skin as he mouthed at his nape and their heart rates slowed.

His fingers skirted down Levi’s side and over to the silver-scaled appendage. The scales were cool, but not as much as Eren remembered Levi feeling when he was completely in his dragon form. He heard Levi hum as the tip of the tail flicked animatedly in response to the touches.

“I hadn’t meant for that to come out…” Levi said quietly.

Eren smiled and pressed another kiss to the man’s neck. “I don’t mind it… at all...” he said, continuing to lightly stroke his fingertips over the shimmering scales.

When they’d both caught their breath, Levi went to sit up. He turned to face Eren with a grimace firmly in place. “But you know, that didn’t exactly help my sore ass…”

Eren chuckled, wrapping his arms around Levi’s waist and nuzzling against the man’s hip. “Sorry…”

He heard Levi grunt, “No you’re not…” Looking up at him, Eren saw the playful smirk that had replaced the grimace. Eren returned the smirk as he sat up, kissing the man lightly on the lips before murmuring, “No… I’m really not.”

Levi brought his hand up to pull at the back of Eren’s neck, bringing him in for a deeper kiss. Just as Eren was beginning to feel heady again, Levi pressed a hand to his chest and leaned away. His head was turned and his eyes were clear as though he was listening to something, and Eren realized that’s exactly what he was doing.

“Kid’s awake,” Levi announced.

Eren sighed and pressed one last peck to the man’s jaw before they both stood and brushed off the traces of dirt that clung to their sweaty skin. Apparently, for survival reasons, it was innate in dragon babes to know how to communicate telepathically from birth. As Levi had explained it, it was just how a human baby cries when they need something. There were no words being transmitted, just vague alerts that could mean anything.

Eren watched, almost regrettably, as Levi retracted his tail, the silvery appendage slowly withdrawing and shrinking until it was completely gone.  After a quick dip and scrub in the lake, Levi made his way to where he’d left the whelp. Eren went to return the vial of honeysuckle to his chest in his saddle bag. He would have to keep an eye out for that flower, seeing as he’d be running low soon enough. It would be unlikely to find the plant in a forest terrain, so he concluded he would be better off making a stop at an alchemist’s or herbalist’s shop.

After he buckled his saddle bag back up, he turned to see Levi approaching him with a wriggling bundle of blanket in his arms. Levi didn’t look amused.

“We need to get this brat something to eat.”

Eren chewed at his cheek. He never enjoyed looking incompetent. “I doubt I’ve managed to catch anything. I don’t know what it is about the animals in this area, but they don’t seem to fall for my traps.”

Levi hummed in thought as the dragon let out a myriad of whining grunts, claws pulling at the front of the shirt Levi had donned. “Well, let’s go check before we move on.”

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What better way to start a story than with sex, right? :D  
> If you guys could spare some kudos or comments I'd greatly appreciate it... Nothing motivates me more than hearing from you ^_^
> 
>  
> 
> [Anywhale, here's a link to all the stuff I've drawn for this AU](http://nelleri.tumblr.com/tagged/witcher%20au%20doodles)  
> [♥ AND AND HERE'S THE FANART CEINWYN DREW FOR ME!!♥](http://nelleri.tumblr.com/post/125188779115/look-look-i-got-fanart-for-my)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Newwww character this chapter!

Eren stood and frowned down at the triggered, but empty trap at his feet. He looked up warily at Levi, the dragon whelp impatiently clambering around in his arms.

“I don’t know what to say,” Eren offered. “It’s as if the animals around here are smarter or something…”

Levi sighed and tried to reign in the disgruntled pup, who was clearly done waiting for his meal. “Well we’ve got to feed him some sort of meat. Berries and the like won’t cut it for him.”

Eren nodded and kicked a bit at the wooden sticks he had used for his trap, when something caught his eye. He bent down and moved the fallen leaves and sticks aside, picking up a small rock.

No… not a rock.

His eyes went wide as he realized that what he was holding was an arrowhead, delicately carved and intricate in its technique. He knew very well why the animals weren’t falling for his traps now. Just at that moment, he heard a very faint rustle. Had it not been for his heightened sense of hearing, he may not have caught it.

Immediately he stood and wrapped his arms around Levi, the shorter man letting out a gasp at the sudden movement.

There was a _fwip_ sound, followed by the stinging pain of being pierced in the shoulder as Eren desperately called out, “Voe'rle! Neén spar!” _(Stop! Don’t shoot!)_

A quiet fell, and everything was still, even the dragon whelp had stopped its movements. Eren could feel the warm blood seeping from the arrow wound on his back, soaking through his shirt and staining his leather jerkin. He grit his teeth against the pain and called out again, “Cáelm cáemm!” _(We come peacefully!)_

More silence. Though, he supposed silence was better than more arrows.

“Eren, what in the seven hells is happening right now…” Levi whispered.

“Dryads,” was all the witcher needed to say. He felt Levi tense for a moment before he spoke.

“That noise… that was an arrow being fired. Eren… Eren were you hit?” There was a dangerous edge to the man’s voice. Eren looked down and saw Levi’s irises sparkling with fury, the pale smooth skin of his cheeks taking on a rougher and shinier texture; scales beginning to form. The witcher’s medallion buzzed gently at Eren’s chest.

“Don’t. Don’t transform, Levi. This doesn’t need to get violent.”

“ _Horseshit,”_ the man seethed, nearly hissing through his now sharpened teeth.

“ _Please,_ ” Eren pleaded. “It’s just one arrow, they haven’t shot again. Once we get this thing out of my shoulder, it will heal in no time.” His fingers dug into Levi’s biceps.

The medallion stopped vibrating, and Levi let his head drop. “I’ll trust you. If they make a move though, I won’t hesitate…”

Eren let out a breath of relief, and waited. The silence stretched for a bit longer, the pain of the arrow in his back lulling to a dull throb so long as he kept still. Finally a voice shouted from the trees, “Esseath?”

The dryad had asked who he was. He thought for a moment, not knowing how this particular tribe would react to the presence of a witcher. Dryads were exclusively female, the only purpose they sought in men was to reproduce. Seeing as he lacked that ability, he couldn’t be sure of the reaction they would have.

However, a witcher was also something that garnered reverent fear in some. Especially those that lived so detached from regular human society. He decided to tell the truth.

“Essea vatt'ghern,” Eren announced.

There was a small rustling, and the witcher turned his head to see a lone dryad emerging from the brush. She held her bow up, an arrow knocked and ready to fly.

“Common Tongue?” Eren asked, raising his hands in the air and wincing as the arrow protruding from his shoulder was jostled.

“Yes,” she said simply. Her skin was splashed with dried mud, her attire composed of bits of foliage as to make it easier to blend into her surroundings. Her brown hair was pulled back and out of her face.

Eren still stood in front of Levi, not wanting any harm to come to him or the baby. The dryad squinted her eyes at them. “Who is with you?”

The witcher swallowed, and turned to look at Levi over his shoulder. The man looked annoyed, but stepped out from behind Eren and leveled his stare at the dryad, arms still protectively wrapped around the whelp.

The dryad saw the small being in Levi’s arm, and her eyes blew wide. She lowered her bow and whispered, “Drággo…”

“Uhh, yes. We’re travelling through the area in search of the dragon’s mother. We didn’t mean to encroach on your territory,” Eren said, glancing around to the trees around them, wondering where the rest of her tribe was.

She must have noticed because she said, “It’s only me.”

Eren furrowed his brow and looked to her. She looked almost ashamed, her head lowered though her eyes remained on the baby dragon.

“This is not my ‘territory’. I own nothing, and am owned by no one.”

That, Eren thought, was odd. Dryad tribes were comprised of closely knit women, who knew each other from youth until death. They battled together, hunted together, depended on each other. Stronger bonds than any sisterhood.

“You have no tribe?” Eren asked, letting his arms fall to his sides and ignoring the pain in his shoulder.

The dryad raised her head to look at the witcher. “Not anymore.”

Apparently the dragon whelp had concluded that the moment of danger had passed, and took to crawling impatiently all over Levi while whining and snorting.

“Tch… Damned brat. You, dryad-girl. The animals in this area can’t be caught by this buffoon’s common traps. I take it that’s thanks to you?”

The dryad girl seemed to relax slightly as she smiled. “I have no problems catching _my_ meals…”

Eren sighed, “Yes, the animals seem to have adapted to your style of hunting, which is surely more advanced than mine.”

He didn’t like to admit he’d been bested, but he knew it was true. Dryads lived their entire lives within nature, to the point that they could be considered a part of it. There was no way Eren could out-hunt a dryad.

The dryad seemed to be enjoying the morsel of praise from Eren, the dried mud on her cheeks cracking as her grin widened. There was something definitely unique with this girl, dryads were generally extremely untrusting of outsiders, and would normally kill them on the spot. Granted, he did have an arrow sticking out of his shoulder…

“So…” Eren drawled, “My name is Eren, this is Levi.”

“My name is Saskia—ah no… that isn’t my name anymore…” The sullen expression returned to the girl’s face. “I am Sasha.”

From that slip, Eren had gathered that she must have been originally born among humans with the name Sasha. She was likely kidnapped as a child by dryads and renamed Saskia. However, considering she was alone and by the things she had said, she must have been excommunicated from her tribe. Eren empathized with her; to have such a strong family bond ripped from you and left to wander alone. Surely, he understood that pain.

“Well then, Sasha. Mind getting your arrow out of my lover’s back?” Levi practically growled.

The dryad nodded and slowly approached. Meanwhile the word “lover” was floating around in Eren’s ears. He supposed that was the appropriate word to describe them, but this was the first time he’d heard it aloud, and from Levi’s own lips. He decided he rather liked the sound of it.

The distraction worked for but a split second, before the searing hot pain of the arrow being yanked out ripped him from his thoughts. She hadn’t even given a warning. The witcher fell to his knees and choked around the scream in his throat.

“ _Fuck_ ,” he grunted once the pain began to dull. “They always hurt more on the way out…”

He heard the Sasha hum in acknowledgement before she took a step towards Levi. She leaned over slightly and peered at the dragon in the man’s arms.

“The babe needs food, yes?” she asked.

Eren stood and tried lifting his arm to work the muscle in his shoulder, facilitating his advanced healing. “Yes, can you help us?”

Sasha lifted her head and turned to stare at Eren. She looked wary, but the witcher could tell she was considering, which was more than he would have expected from the average dryad.

“I can help,” she said with a nod. “If you can help me, witcher.”

Levi looked to Eren with a raised brow.

Eren sighed. Witchers weren’t exactly known for their capabilities in smoothing out rough social situations, but given a sword and a demand, they can easily wipe out whoever may be a “problem.” Eren wasn’t a fan of this type of work. He would kill monsters without question, but assassinating people with conscious thought was wrong. And he could only imagine what this lonely, excommunicated dryad needed help with.

Regardless, they were in need, so he asked, “It depends; what is it you need help with?”

“I want to return to my tribe,” Sasha stated plainly.

The witcher shook his head. “I don’t understand how I can help with that…”

The dryad clenched her fists, her face flushed with anger. “The mother, she is… she is not good. She kidnaps young men and forces them… she forces them…” she trailed off, her eyes growing misty.

“That isn’t something that only your tribe does…” Eren said quietly. “Using human men for means of procreating, it’s one of the ways many tribes increase their numbers.”

“It isn’t _right!”_ Sasha shouted.

“I agree,” Eren said glumly. “But what exactly do you want me to do?”

“I don’t know… but maybe at least, you could protect me. I want to go to the nearby village. There’s someone there I need to see.”

Eren met Levi’s gaze; the shorter man giving him a look of approval. “We can do that.”

Sasha’s face lit up and she pulled an arrow from her quiver; fluidly knocking it before firing it off with a glance. A strangled, high-pitched squeal was heard in the distance; the death cry of a rabbit.

The dryad turned to face the two of them, beaming. “Then, feed the babe and let's go!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are thoroughly encouraged. Even if it's just one word, you guys really help me to keep motivated
> 
> [Also added a new drawing to my tag for this AU](http://nelleri.tumblr.com/tagged/witcher%20au%20doodles), a lil papa ereri napping with the whelp :P


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pair escort Sasha to Ragako village.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, I've got finals coming up so hopefully I'll be able to keep updating regularly x_x 
> 
> Also, I did another doodle for this AU, link in the end notes :D
> 
> Just a note on the dryads in this fic; I'm basing them on the dryads from the books rather than the games. I only played the first witcher game, but the dryads there are all green-skinned? In the books I've read they were described as being humans dressed in like plants n stuff? idk... Basically humans but way better at everything regarding nature.

 “How much damn further is this village?” Levi grumbled as he stomped through low lying foliage.

“Ragako is the nearest village in the area; it won’t take much longer,” Sasha answered.

Eren heard a frustrated grunt from Levi, followed by more disgruntled murmurings. Sasha turned around to look at Eren as she continued walking.

“Does he always complain so much?”

“Oi!” Levi interjected.

Eren just grinned as he ignored him and replied, “Not usually this much…”

“ _Oi!_ I can hear you, you realize this?”

The witcher gave him a placating smile. “You do seem a little more annoyed than normal…”

Levi huffed through his nose and adjusted the dragon whelp in his arms. “My back has been itching like crazy.”

“Would you like me to scratch it for you?”

“No, I just want to get to this village already; get this dryad off our hands. Why do you even need escorting?” Levi directed the question to Sasha.

“Humans rarely greet dryads with kindness… but I’d rather not fight them if I don’t have to. I thought having company who are clearly _not_ dryads, might lessen their animosity. Though, I’m hoping we won’t need to interact with anyone,” she said thoughtfully.

“At least they hate your kind for good reason…” Levi mumbled. Eren shot him a warning look, but the shorter man merely shrugged.

“He’s right,” Sasha spoke up, noticing the glare Eren was sending Levi. “We steal away their young men, and… _use_ them. We kidnap their baby girls from their cribs to raise as our own… I find it despicable.”

“Is that why you were excommunicated?” Levi asked, and Eren was at a loss for how unapologetically blunt he was.

The witcher watched the dryad as she furrowed her brow, concentrating on how to answer the question as the three continued walking. In the silence, Eren adjusted the too-tight bandaging that Levi had done for him on his shoulder. The man might have lived for centuries, but he was miserable at first aid.

Eventually, Sasha broke the silence and drew Eren’s mind away from the pulse in his shoulder. “Sovereign Ellaine renamed me when they brought me into the tribe. I was young, but I still remember. ‘Saskia,’ it means defender of men. For a long while, it was just an ongoing joke that I was a sympathizer for men. I was not taken seriously… Until I freed a male slave.”

There was a weighted silence, the only sound being the crunching of foliage beneath their feet as they pressed on. Finally, Eren decided to alleviate the tension.

“I believe you did the right thing, Sasha.”

A small smile graced the dryad’s lips, but the rest of her face remained impassive. “Perhaps to him it would seem that way. However, my actions were geared by selfishness… I couldn’t stand the thought of other women of the tribe… _touching_ him.” A grim expression took over her face and she clenched her jaw.

“You loved him,” Levi supplied, straightforward as ever.

The dryad didn’t reply.

 

 

They finally reached the edge of the treeline surrounding Ragako Village. There they stood, behind some tall brush and watched the people mulling about the small village.

“Well? Now what?” Levi questioned, fidgeting.

Sasha shook her head, eyes scanning through the various villagers. Suddenly, her eyes widened and her breath stilled.

“He’s there…” she whispered, pointing.

Eren followed the tip of her index finger to see a shepherd sitting in the grass, blowing a rancid tune into a harmonica as his handful of sheep grazed around him. His skin was tanned from prolonged hours spent in the sunlight, and his hair trimmed down to nearly the scalp.

They stood there silently for a few more moments as Sasha simply stared. Eventually, Levi had enough and elbowed Eren roughly in the ribs. “I can’t take this any longer. Scratch my back would you?”

The shorter man turned away, leaning over slightly. The shirt he wore was loose, and he’d forgone the belt he’d normally fasten around his abdomen, so the witcher slid his hands under the garment to rake his blunt nails down the other’s back.

It all happened so fast, Eren nearly didn’t catch it all. Levi let out a shrill cry of pain, immediately jolting forward before spinning on his heel and crunching his elbow into the witcher’s nose. Eren cursed loudly and brought his hands up to cover his possibly broken nose. Meanwhile, the unplanned movement caused Levi to drop the dragon, who luckily spread his tiny wings in time to slow his fall.

All the commotion had caught the attention of the shepherd. Sasha let out a quiet whine as she noticed him approaching the bush they had been hiding behind. He took one step past the bush and caught sight of them all, and promptly froze in his tracks. His eyes jumped from one to the other, finally pausing on Sasha.

“S-Saskia?” he whispered, eyes wide and a blush tinging his cheeks.

“Hello again, Connie…” she answered shyly.

Eren wiped his bloody hands off on his pants before fingering the tender cartilage of his nose and watching the two stare at each other. He glanced over to Levi, wondering why the man had reacted so violently. The baby dragon also seemed concerned from his place beside Levi. The pup was sitting on his rump, staring up with his head tilted to the side, watching as Levi gripped at the back of his shirt and attempted to keep it off his skin.

The witcher scooped up the dragon and placed him on his shoulder before standing and carefully approaching his lover. Taking care to not touch Levi’s skin, Eren pulled lightly at the back of Levi’s collar and peered at the skin underneath.

It was a violent shade of pink.

“Pffft!” Eren failed to stifle his laugh completely.

Levi glared at him from over his shoulder before standing up and tenderly removing his shirt to reveal that his entire back was the same ruddy shade, leading all the way down to his pant line and most likely even further down. Even the backs of his arms had taken on a pinkish hue.

“Oh my gods your entire backside is sun burned,” Eren said with amusement and only a slight amount of sympathy. He felt bad, but it was a little… well, _cute_ that Levi had laid out nude for so long, waiting to show off, that he’d obtained such a hellish looking sun burn.

“Damnit…” Levi hissed as he turned to face the witcher, revealing his chest was slightly pink as well, though not nearly as badly burned. “Without my scales… I forgot I didn’t have any protection from this sort of thing…” he said this quietly to himself but Eren could hear him perfectly and continued to try and choke down his chuckles at the other man’s expense.

“Uhm..?” another voice chimed in and Levi’s head whipped to the shepherd who was still standing there aghast at everything before him. “You… that…that’s a…” his wide eyes darted to the pup still seated on Eren’s shoulder.

“Connie,” Sasha interrupted and immediately drew the young man’s attention from the increasingly uncomfortable Levi and Eren. “Can you take me to your home without anyone seeing? I would like to speak with you…”

The shepherd’s confused expression melted as he smiled brightly at the young dryad; his tanned cheeks warming. “Of course, Saskia. I owe you my life, afterall.” He turned back to face Eren and Levi, “Uh…There’s an herbalist in town that can give you something for your burn, but you may want to hide… _that,”_ he said nodding towards the dragon whelp.

“You don’t seem surprised to see a dragon…” Levi said accusingly, and Eren knew by his tone that if Connie were to pose any threat to the pup, he would kill him without hesitation. He wasn’t sure he would try to stop him, either.

Connie shrugged, clearly passed the initial shock and glanced at Sasha. “I was taken by the dryads… I’ve seen enough strange things to not worry over something so innocent looking. A much larger dragon flew by a handful of days ago. Everyone in the village fled into their homes, screaming in terror; but the dragon didn't even spare a passing glance. I think... Only living in this small town for our whole lives; our world views might be limited…”

Sasha smiled at him, clearly proud of his response. Levi's eyes had narrowed at the shepherd at the mention of a larger dragon, but his suspicions of strangers kept him from asking any questions for the moment. Eren himself was quite impressed. Humans were rarely so accepting of the unknown. And dryads were rarely so sympathetic to those outside their tribe. The two seemed like a perfect match.

"If you'll excuse us, then..." Sasha said, smile still curving her mouth.

As they turned to leave, Levi called after them, "I'd like to hear more about this dragon you saw."

Connie shrunk at the withering stare Levi was giving him, but nodded all the same before turning to lead Sasha to his cabin. 

After Sasha and Connie had departed, Eren left Levi in the trees of the outskirts to watch the whelp while he himself went in search of the herbalist. It didn’t take him long to find the rather busty woman leaning on a cart covered with various loose plants, vials, and garlands; the wide variety of strong scents violating the witcher's heightened sense of smell. To his surprise, she did have fresh honeysuckle blossoms. He purchased a handful of those along with some wolf’s aloe leaves, purposefully ignoring the woman's lusty stare as she carefully plucked the coins from his palm.

With the blossoms and most of the wolf’s aloe in a pouch at his hip, Eren used a dagger to begin peeling the tough skin from one of the wolf’s aloe leaves, revealing the wet meatiness within as he walked back to the outskirts to find Levi.

“This will help ease the burn,” he explained. Levi turned away from him, setting the whelp on the ground and leaning his forearms on a tree in front of him.

“Hurry the fuck up…” Levi said through gritted teeth.

The witcher stepped forward with the peeled open leaf in hand. With his fingers, he dug into the meat of the plant and scooped as much of the cool goo as he could. Starting at the shoulders, for they appeared to be the most affected, he began spreading the viscous liquid.

“Haaaaaaah, _fuck…_ ” Levi outright moaned as his shoulder sagged in blissful relief. “Oh my gods… douse me in that, whatever it is…”

Eren smirked and continued to cover the expanse of reddish skin before him. He could feel the heat of the man's skin, even through the coolness of the aloe. As his hand glided wetly over red skin, Levi sighed deeply in content. Eren scooped more of the plant's goo and stepped closer, dropping the leaf and bringing his hands around to the man's front and applying it to his chest. Levi's chest wasn't as bad as his back, but the witcher took his time in trailing his sticky wet fingers over the man's pectorals; his thumbs subtly flicking over hardening nipples. Levi tilted his head back, another soft sigh passing his parted lips. When all of the man's exposed areas were covered in the cool gel, Eren deftly moved his hands to the string at Levi’s crotch and untied his pants.

“Your lower half is probably burned as well…” he whispered in Levi’s ear.

“Stop…” Levi grunted, “You’re going to turn the kid into a pervert, doing this kind of shit in front of him…”

With a chuckle, Eren retreated, leaving Levi to redo the tie to his pants.

“Later, though…” Levi said under his breath before he stooped to pick up a very confused looking dragon pup.

A rustling behind them grabbed their attention, and they turned to see Sasha accompanied by Connie emerge from behind a bush.

“You two finish your little talk already?” Levi said with a bored tone.

Sasha nodded, “I’ve explained to Connie my situation, and we may have an idea as to how to get me back into my tribe…”

“Why would you want to return to them? I thought you disagreed with their ways?” Eren asked, ignoring Levi’s _tsk_ of annoyance. He knew the man was eager to continue their search for the dragon mother, but Eren didn’t often see such unique people like Sasha and Connie. He was interested in how things would play out for them.

“Well… I think I could cause reform, and Connie can work on bringing the humans around to cohabiting with the dryads. We want the two worlds to exist in harmony.”

Levi snorted at this. “Good fucking luck. Just tell us quickly about that dragon you saw, we’re losing daylight.” And indeed they were. The sky was already turning a musky orange as the sun retreated below the treeline. 

“We need your help!”

Eren bit at his lip. He wanted to help, he wanted them to achieve their goal of unity between two warring civilizations. Even if it were just this one isolated tribe, and isolated village. It would give him hope that maybe the world isn’t so full of hatred like he’d come to believe. But…

He looked up to see Levi turned halfway to face him, his eyes stern and jaw clenched. The man sighed, his posture relaxing before he slowly closed his eyes.

“Fine. But if this takes longer than a day I _will_ continue on by myself. And I expect full details about that damned dragon, understand?”

Eren’s heart grew light as he took two quick steps to take Levi in his arms, kissing him on the cheek. “Thank you.”

Levi shook his head, “This kind of thing is important to you, isn’t it?”

“It really is…”

With a nod, Levi peeked over the witcher’s shoulder to address the dryad. “We’ll do what we can.”

Eren felt a familiar tightening sensation in his chest. He’d felt it earlier when they had first crossed paths with Sasha, but he was so flooded with adrenaline back then that he ignored it. When he had seen Levi’s cheeks beginning to spatter with the beginnings of scales, the pure fury in the man’s eyes when he had learned that Eren had been shot…

Eren had never had someone who would fight for him, someone who would seek vengeance for his pain; and now, someone who genuinely cared about what was important to him. Levi was willing to put their expedition on hold if not just to put Eren’s heart at rest. Perhaps it was too early to be feeling such strong emotions towards someone, but Eren didn’t care…

“So…” Connie said, awkwardly breaking the short silence. “You two are welcome to stay in my cabin. I live alone, so you don’t have to worry about your… um…”

“The baby,” Sasha provided.

“Right. The baby,” Connie agreed, nodding. "And I can tell you about the dragon over supper."

“Wonderful!” Sasha exclaimed with a clap of her mud-caked hands, “Connie has made this _incredible_  stew out of… What did you call those dirt fruit?”

Connie snorted to himself before answering with a wistful grin, “Potatoes, Saskia… They’re called potatoes.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who's left comments, you have no idea how much that shit inspires me yo. ♥
> 
> [And here's the new doodle of Sasha and Connie!](http://nelleri.tumblr.com/post/127422209145/dryad-sasha-and-shepherd-connie-just-updated-part) Not any particular scene from the fic, more like a concept doodle I guess


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A quiet-ish evening at Connie's cabin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eyyy I actually finished this in time :D

“No,” Levi grunted definitively.

“But…”

“I said _no,_ Dryad.”

Eren shifted uncomfortably in his seat, the wood creaking slightly in the silence. They were in the middle of their meal in Connie’s home, seated at a small round table. The air was filled with the homely scent of potato stew, but the homeliness was lost in the waves of tension rolling off of Levi.

Connie had just finished telling them about the dragon that he’d seen fly by. There was no question it was the dragon mother they were in search of, and they now had a better idea of which direction to head the following day. Levi had been in a relatively good mood until Sasha had started to explain her plan to get the dryad tribe on her side…

“We can promise no harm will come to the pup… It would be entirely for show! If I were to return to the grove with a baby dragon, the other dryads would be more likely to-“

“You aren’t _touching_ him,” the black haired man growled viciously. Eren heard a small lisp to his voice…

_His fangs are slipping…_

“Look uh…” the witcher interrupted, trying to get out of the situation with everyone intact, “I have a better solution. What if—” he paused, glancing to Levi with a disarming expression, “What if you returned to the grove with a full-sized dragon by your side?”

Levi’s eyes flashed with anger, and Eren’s palms began to sweat.

“What the fuck do you think you’re implying, _witcher._ ”

The way Levi had snarled “witcher” made Eren’s chest constrict. Maybe this wasn’t the best way to diffuse the situation after all…

Sasha and Connie sat in silence as Eren and Levi stared at one another. Eventually, Levi broke his gaze with the witcher to turn his head toward the others.

“You two, _out._ ”

With a frightened _meep_ , Connie jumped to his feet and headed out the door followed closely by Sasha. Eren watched Levi closely. The man was furious, even the pup in his lap could sense his agitation.

“I didn’t mean to-“

“I think it’s best we part ways here, witcher,” Levi interrupted him.

Eren’s throat felt tight, a hundred objections and explanations frothing in his mind but none of them formulating into words. Levi stood with the pup in his arms and began to make his way to his boots by the front door.

It couldn’t end here, he couldn’t let it end here… This strong yearning thrumming in his veins that called to Eren; that called for him to do anything to make this man stay. Something deep within him that he didn’t fully understand was screaming at him that he needed to fix things, that he _needed_ Levi by his side.

Desperate to make him stop, Eren leapt to his feet and grabbed the other man by the elbow. “Levi, please understand. I didn’t mean to force you into anything…”

Levi gave a dry laugh, the bitterness of which made Eren’s chest ache. “You think _you_ could force me into anything? Be glad I don’t rip your fucking throat out for what you suggested. Using me as some kind of spectacle for the viewing pleasure of some shitty dryad tribe I couldn’t care less about. _How dare you._ ” Though Levi had hissed this last statement, it was without the lisp of his fangs, and that’s when Eren realized… Levi wasn’t angry at him, he was _hurt._

“Levi…” he whispered, trying with everything within him to convey his regret as he cautiously inched closer to the man. The pup in Levi’s grasp whined and nudged at the man’s chest. Eren lifted a hand and ran his fingertips across the short hairs at the base of his lover’s head. Levi recoiled at the touch and spun to face the witcher.

“Don’t you fucking _touch_ me,” he snarled. “I understand that solving all the world’s problems is important to you, but to reduce me and my kind to some flashy show to meet your ends… I’m not _entertainment._ ” The man’s silver eyes had gone dark, but still shimmered in the low firelight.

“Please, forgive me… You only agreed to stay and help because you knew it was important to me. I shouldn’t have tried to… to _use_ you for something when you were only humoring me to begin with.”

Levi sighed and looked down at the pup who was whining softly. He remained quiet for a moment as he lifted a hand to gently caress the pup’s chin. Keeping his eyes on the pup in his arms, he murmured, “It shouldn’t be this easy to forgive you, damnit.”

Eren smiled and stepped forward, bringing his hands up slowly to rest at Levi’s waist and letting his forehead fall to rest atop the other man’s head; trying his best to show his atonement through touch. “We can leave tonight, if you’d like; let them figure something out on their own.”

When he was met with silence, Eren leaned back to survey Levi’s face. The man was staring blindly downwards, his brow furrowed; deep in thought.

“You…” Levi started, closing his eyes and tilting his head back before he continued, “You scared me.”

 _Scared_ was never a word Eren would associate with Levi… not after seeing him in his true form. He stood in stunned silence as Levi elaborated.

“I’ve been in hiding a damn long time, Eren.” His eyes blinked open then, and Eren could sense the longing sadness within them.  “And you just nearly told these two strangers what I am… You violated my trust, and on top of that suggesting I be used as some sort of freak show to awe and dazzle some dryads? Without even consulting me first?” Levi _tsk’d_ in annoyance and turned his head away, but Eren caught the look of hurt in his eyes.

“Gods, Levi I’m so sorry. I wasn’t even thinking about how this would affect you… I just wanted to help Sasha, I lost sight…” He moved even closer, fully wrapping his arms around the other man and pulling him to his chest. The whelp adjusted itself in the small space between them but stayed silent as it peered up at the two of them.

“Forgive me…”

Another _tsk_. “I already said I forgive you… Now let go of me, my back still feels like its on fire.”

Eren loosened his grip around the man before relenting, stooping down to kiss the man’s slight smile. “As I said, we can leave tonight if you wish…”

Levi shook his head. “No, I’ll do it.”

Eren stood upright in surprise. “What? Levi you don’t have to…”

“I know I don’t,” Levi said as he rolled his eyes. “But I want… I want to help you. After that day; watching you fight against Nile and his men for my sake… I want to repay the favor.”

The witcher smiled and pressed another kiss to the man’s face, just under his eye. “Like you wouldn’t have been just fine on your own… You could have easily defeated them all.”

Levi shook his head, “That’s not the poi-” he was cut off as Eren sealed his lips with his own. Levi let out a grunt at having been interrupted, but melted into the kiss nonetheless. The dragon pup made a happy little noise, as the two of them made up. Eren chuckled and pulled away to grin down at the dragon babe, giving him a soft poke to the head.

“Then I’ll go fetch Connie and Sasha. We’ll plan tonight, and act tomorrow. That way we can get back on the road by midday.”

Levi nodded.

 

 

That night, Eren and Levi agreed to stay at Connie’s cabin. There was a well-equipped guest bedroom that even had its own bathroom; a luxury the two hadn’t been treated to since their first night together.

However, this time instead of an intimate hour spent alone in a warm, soapy bath—which Eren felt he would appreciate more this time around—the two were joined by an over-excited little reptilian babe.

As the pup’s tail smacked against the water’s surface for the twelfth time that night, sprinkling the both of them, Levi huffed in annoyance.

“Damn brat. A warm bath before bed is probably a terrible idea… he’s just going to be even more over-active.”

Just as he finished speaking, the pup poked its head out of the water, resting its front claws on Levi’s chest, snorting happily. While his chest was only slightly burned, the needle-like claws scraping at the tender skin proved to be too much of a pain for Levi. He sat up abruptly, grabbing the baby dragon and shoving him towards the witcher, who was watching with a mirthful grin the entire time.

Eren sat back after placing the pup on his shoulder, still smiling as he felt the tiny thing tromping up and down his arms that were draped on the tub’s edge. His shoulder muscles were still a bit tight, but the arrow wound had healed entirely, so he gladly took the position entertaining the pup.

“If you let him play now he’ll wear himself out,” he reasoned, but the other man was already exiting the tub. Eren didn’t mind; this tub was much more cramped than the one they had shared at the inn. With Levi out, the witcher could finally stretch out his legs. The whelp took advantage of the newly cleared space as well; tumbling down the witcher’s chest to splash beneath the water once more.

“It’s just as well,” Levi grumbled as he gently toweled off. “The heat wasn’t the greatest feeling on this burn…”

Eren tilted his head and watched Levi as he gingerly patted the damp and reddened skin of his back with a drying cloth. Beneath the water he could feel playful nips at his toes while a long grey tail whipped about above the surface. He smiled and wiggled his toes, inviting the pup to continue to play. The minute sting of those tiny sharp teeth was a small price to pay in order to tire the kid out… Eren had plans for the night…

“Once the kid’s asleep I’ll put some more wolf’s aloe on you.”

Levi quirked a brow and smirked as his eyelids lowered. “Hmm? I’ll be waiting, then,” he lilted before sauntering out of the bathroom.

 

 

Getting the pup to sleep ended up taking far more effort than Eren was expecting. After an hour of chasing the little dragon around the bathroom, the witcher finally managed to catch him and bundled him up heavily in blankets.

Slightly out of breath, and covered in little bites and scratches, Eren couldn’t stop the warm smile as he watched the pup in his arms yawn widely, letting out an adorable rasping whine as he did so. He placed the bundle in the empty wash basin, figuring it’d serve as a decent nest for the night.

For a moment he was worried the pup would throw a fit as he normally would; little pathetic mewls demanding to sleep between the witcher and Levi. But instead, he just burrowed deeper into the blankets and let out a grunt of contentment before stilling, the only movement being the small but steady breaths moving the blankets.

After dressing in sleep clothes and fetching his alchemy trunk, the witcher sat on the floor near the bed and began assembling his small distiller. He heard the bed creak as Levi rolled over on the thin mattress to watch him.

“Kid asleep?”

“Mhm.”

“What are you doing?”

With the distiller set up, Eren poured water into the larger glass beaker before breaking apart the honeysuckle blossoms he’d purchased earlier and adding them as well.

“Setting this up so I can extract the oil from the petals. Thanks to a certain someone, I’m beginning to run low on honeysuckle oil…” he answered teasingly.

Levi hummed and continued to watch as Eren lit the wick of the burner under the rounded glass globe. “How does it work?”

“You’re how old? And you don’t know how a distiller works?” Eren questioned with a raised brow.

Levi shrugged without shame. “Things are constantly changing… I haven’t had an opportunity to see one of these.”

Eren smiled to himself. Despite the amount of years Levi must have lived, it was endearing to see him curious about something he didn’t understand.

“Well,” he began as he pointed to the larger beaker, “I put water and the petals in here. The heat from below will make the water boil and evaporate, the water vapor travels up this glass tube and then drops down into this smaller glass on this side. The heat also breaks the membranes of the petals so the oils will secrete.”

“And the oils don’t evaporate too?” Levi asked, brow furrowed adorably.

“No… well they can. But oils have a much higher boiling point so as long as I watch the temperature gauge here and keep the heat set properly; in the end all that will be left on this side will be pure honeysuckle oil. By this process there’s also no loss of its alchemical properties; quebrith, and albedo.”

Levi let out another, longer hum. “You don’t have to do anything like this for that stuff you put on my skin earlier, do you?”

Eren grinned and pulled the wolf’s aloe leaves out from his trunk from the pocket he’d stored them in earlier. “Thankfully, no. I can put some more on you right now, if you’d like.”

“Praise the gods it’s about damned time,” Levi grumbled even as he eagerly positioned himself in the center of the bed.

Eren stood as he cut into the leaf, watching admirably as Levi shucked the drying cloth he’d been using to cover himself. The man’s skin looked painfully red, starting at his neck and travelling all the way down to the backs of his legs.

Levi lay on his stomach and spread out completely, and even with such a dreadful sunburn, Eren had to stop and appreciate the curves of the other’s body. With the man’s legs open wide, the witcher knelt on the bed and shuffled forward between them, urging him to spread them further with a little nudge with his knees.

Finally situated and hands covered in aloe, Eren lightly pressed his hands to reddened shoulders. Immediately, Levi let out a hissing breath at the contact. Biting his lip, Eren continued, trailing his hands down with his fingers spread to cover as much skin as possible.

The distiller had come to a boil; the smell of honeysuckle permeating the air and bringing lustful memories to Eren’s mind. In combination with his naked lover beneath him, the witcher was finding it increasingly difficult to keep his touch platonic.

He kept his fingertips light as he eventually reached the other’s buttocks, not wanting to cause too much friction. His jaw was clenched, fighting the urge to dig his grip into those muscular cheeks.

After quickly coating Levi’s thighs and calves, Eren brought his hands back up to Levi’s rear. _How lucky today’s turned out to be_ , Eren thought. After days of them not being able to touch each other, here in this single day they had found two opportunities. Sunburn or not, Eren wasn’t going to let the moment go to waste.

Attempting to be subtle, Eren began working his hands closer and closer to Levi’s entrance; spreading his cheeks much in the same way he had earlier that day while Levi was sunbathing. Also like their previous encounter, Levi rose on his elbows to stop him.

“Oi. I’m not really in any condition for fucking right now…”

Eren smiled sweetly as his thumbs traced the hot skin around Levi’s hole, enjoying the unconscious push back of Levi’s hips into his touch.

“Don’t worry, just let me take care of you…”

With those soothing words, Eren let his thumb delve slowly into the other man, his other hand still smearing aloe over his backside. Levi groaned lowly and pressed his hips back again. The witcher pulled his thumb out to apply more aloe before returning, slipping his slicked thumb back inside. At the angle they were in, his thumb was at the perfect length and position to press against Levi’s tender spot within. Eren found it quickly and applied steady, but skittish pressure to it.

“Mmmmm…” the hum was deep and appreciative coming from Levi, the man lifting partially onto his knees so the head of his cock just barely touched the sheets below. Eren brought his other hand to cup at Levi’s balls, rolling them in his hand and covering them too in aloe.

Levi had began panting, hips twitching as his head dropped to rest on his forearms. Eren slowly started applying more pressure to the other’s prostate, making slow, torturous circles over it. The attention to this spot made Levi’s cock jump, a long string of precum dripping down to pool on the sheets.

Eren wanted to ravish him, his own cock throbbing with each harsh intake of breath, each panting exhale. But this was for Levi, and Eren wanted to show the man how much he enjoyed his body. He wanted to spoil him and tease him all in the same moment.

He wrapped his free hand around Levi’s cock, but refused to tighten the grip. Instead his fingers gently, and oh, so slowly danced up and down the man’s length. All the while his thumb continued to massage lazily inside.

Eren was taking his time, fingers mapping out the ridge of Levi’s cock, never applying the speed or grip Levi must have been dying for. The man’s fingers were gripping violently at the sheets at this point, quiet pleading whispers falling from his lips.

“More… please… please Eren, oh gods…”

But Eren kept his slow, leisurely, _maddening_ pace. Levi’s shoulders were beginning to shake, his hips frantically pushing forward and back seeking the release that he was _just_ on the edge of. Eren tracked his motions, sure to keep his speed the same.

The witcher’s eyes trailed up from his work, eyeing over those round cheeks. His gaze widened as he saw a silvery, speckled spot at the base of Levi’s spine that withered up in a thin line only to widen over his shoulder blades. The metallic shade being a stark contrast to the man’s burned skin. Eren had taken off his medallion before bathing, so he hadn’t noticed until then; Levi was so worked up that his scales were beginning to show.

Fascinated, Eren leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the center of Levi’s back, his hands never ceasing their relentlessly slow assault. He felt Levi shudder beneath him as his lips touched the cool scales; heard the man’s breath catch in his throat.

The witcher’s brow raised at the reaction, and decided to test a theory. He pressed his thumb against that fleshy bump inside, finally giving it the attention Levi had been begging for. His other hand also gave in, wrapping snugly around Levi’s cock and dragging wetly from base to tip. At the same time, Eren opened his mouth; licking a stripe up Levi’s spine along the line of scales. The texture was odd against his tongue, but the reaction was incredible.

Levi’s back arched so hard that Eren had to chase it with his mouth to keep contact. The man’s body tensed hard, his inner walls clamping around the witcher’s thumb as his cock spilled and spilled and _spilled_ over the sheets. His moans, caught and garbled in his throat as he tried to breathe through his rippling orgasm.

“Ghh-gahh-nnng!”

His entire body shook when he had finished. Heavy tremors working through his body as it tried to regain control of itself. Eren pressed a final kiss to Levi’s spine, the scales having spread over his entire back at this point.

“Shit… shit… holy shit…” Levi panted to himself. The witcher grinned as he removed his thumb and the man flopped onto his side.

“I don’t think Connie will be too pleased with what you’ve done to his sheets…” The witcher said with a smirk.

“Tch… with what I’ll be doing for him and his dryad tomorrow, he can fuck off if he has a problem.”

Eren hummed and positioned himself on his side behind Levi, eyeing the man’s back with deep interest. He brought up a hand and gently touched his fingers to the scales at the other’s shoulder.

“Mmh… don’t,” Levi grumbled as he flipped over so they were facing each other. “I’m shedding the damaged skin; right before it happens my scales are really damn sensitive, in case you didn’t notice.”

“Oh… shit did I hurt you when I…”

“No,” Levi said as he looked away, “that actually… felt amazing. And actually I suppose I should thank you for drawing them out so I can shed. It'll be a lot easier to heal this way.”

Eren smiled in relief and kissed Levi’s jaw. Suddenly the man was shimmying downwards, pulling Eren’s sleep pants off as he descended.

“Your turn,” Levi said as he immediately took Eren into his mouth to the root.

The witcher gasped so deeply at the sudden, hot wetness around his aching erection, he was afraid he’d pass out. His hands scrabbled for purchase in the man’s hair as he felt that wickedly long tongue lap at his balls even as his cock was stuffed in the other’s mouth.

Knowing what he knew now, Eren couldn’t help but wonder if that tongue was an attribute of Levi’s dragon form. He couldn’t ponder on it for long as Levi relentlessly worked his tongue and mouth and throat; his mind going dumbly blank in pleasure.

Unlike the attention Eren had given Levi, this was brutally fast and sloppy. But Eren didn’t mind; he had been holding himself back the moment he had sat himself between Levi’s legs earlier. One of his hands slipped down Levi’s neck and brushed against the scales at the top of his shoulders. This pulled a throaty groan from Levi that resonated around the head of Eren’s cock.

With a low growl, Eren released himself down Levi’s throat; each spurt being coaxed out as Levi swallowed around him. He couldn’t find it in himself to be embarrassed at having not lasted long. With Levi’s incredible talent, he couldn’t imagine anyone being able to have any sort of stamina.

When the last drop of cum was licked up, Levi crawled back up to be face-to-face with Eren, who grabbed the other by the cheeks and pulled him in for a savage kiss. He tasted the bitter flavor of himself in Levi’s mouth and groaned, feeling like he’d marked his lover with his essence.

“Gods you’re amazing…” Eren breathed out as their lips broke apart.

Levi smirked, “So I’ve heard…”

The witcher rolled his eyes but couldn’t keep his grin off his face. He stood to remove the soiled sheet from the bed; more of a chore than necessary as Levi refused to get off the bed. Somehow, he managed to get the sheet off and balled it up. Luckily the mattress linen was still clean, and the night was warm so they would be fine without a sheet or blanket.

He blew out the lantern of the room and extinguished the burner for his distiller, the only light being the soft blue filtering in from the starry night sky outside the window. Together they coiled up in the center of the bed, legs entangled but Eren being careful to not touch the other’s back.

For several minutes Eren lay there, enjoying the body pressed against him, listening to the soft sound of crickets outside. It was peaceful, and Eren was almost regretful for the mess he’d gotten them in for the next day.

“Hey,” he whispered, not wanting to break the tranquil quiet of the night. “Are you sure you want to do this tomorrow? We can always just leave if you don’t want to…”

He felt Levi shrug against him. “I don’t mind. I told you I wanted to help you.”

“I know… but it might be dangerous…”

A warm press of lips to his chest followed by a puff of a laugh, “What do I have to worry about when I have such a fearless witcher on my side?”

Eren smiled and pressed his nose into Levi’s hair. He knew that when it came down to it, Levi would be fine on his own… but despite that they both knew that Eren would do anything and everything in his power to protect Levi, and Levi would  do the same for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My brain is a little frazzled with school crap right now so I hope this came out alright. Ended up being a helluva lot longer than I was expecting too ._. Comment and lemme know what you think? Please, I'll love you forever I swear ♥
> 
>  
> 
> [~tumblr~](http://nelleri.tumblr.com/)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group advances towards the dryad grove, where Sasha challenges the sovereign.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's probably a billion errors in this I'm so sorry. I had a teacher that decided to assign us a paper _after_ the last day of class since grades aren't technically due for another week. I had literally one day to write the paper and turn it in online and then the online service wasn't working and just... ugh so much stress yo. 
> 
> But a lot of stuff goes down in this chapter so hopefully you'll enjoy~

“Levi… are you certain you want to go through with this?” Eren whispered.

The shorter man huffed and continued undressing; there was no point in him keeping his clothes on if he’d just shred them when he transformed.

“How many times do you intend to ask me that?”

They stood at a good distance away from the grove; near enough so that when Sasha gave Levi the signal to transform he wouldn’t need to travel far to be at her side, but far enough so the dryads of the grove wouldn’t feel threatened by their presence.

Eren watched nervously as Levi finished folding his clothes and set them on a nearby rock. The witcher had been so anxious the previous night to start rebuilding the dryad tribe for the better and integrating them with the humans, but after Levi had brought it all into perspective, the nerves were beginning to take hold.

There was so much chance that things could go wrong. What if the dryads immediately began to attack Levi out of fear when they caught sight of him? Eren had always put his faith in his own ability to fight, but there was no way he could take on an entire dryad tribe, especially not while he was charged with watching over the dragon pup.

The plan that they had concocted with Sasha the night before was that Eren would accompany Sasha to the grove to support her in case things turned ugly. The dragon babe was tucked away snugly in a pouch strapped to the witcher’s chest. He hoped beyond hope things would remain docile as he knew his fighting would be greatly impeded with something so precious on his person.

Connie convinced Sasha that he should join them as well, as an offer of good faith from the humans. Sasha was to declare challenge to the sovereign mother, and as a display of her communion with the earth and all her beasts, she would call upon a great silver dragon as her champion to earn the respect of the dryads of the tribe. This is where Levi would make his entrance.

Levi’s presence would be the determining factor in how the tides would turn, Eren knew this. But he was also aware of how Levi felt about being made into a spectacle. With no small amount of trepidation, Eren eyed the man in front of him. Levi was standing casually, arms crossed over his chest as if he weren’t completely nude to the world.

“Levi…”

The man rolled his eyes and blew out a frustrated breath. “Damn it Eren, if you’re going to ask me again if I’m okay with this I’ll just go raze the entire grove and be done with it.”

“I’m sorry… I just don’t want you to feel obliged to do this; I know you aren’t okay with being used as a flashy bargaining chip.”

Levi turned to face him, his head tilting to the side. “I _want_ to do this, Eren. You fought for me, you’ve joined me in my search, you took a damn arrow for me… What exactly have I done for you? Hell, I never even paid you the 5,000 marks I promised you the first night we met.”

Eren shook his head, “That doesn’t mean you have to do this…”

“You didn’t have to do any of those things you’ve done for me either, did you?”

“Well, no. I didn’t _have_ to… but I wanted to.”

“Exactly, now shut up about it.” Levi huffed, crossing his arms tighter over his chest.

The witcher approached him and wrapped his arms around the naked man, holding him close to his chest as he breathed him in. “Alright,” he murmured as he pressed a kiss to Levi’s head. He let his hands run over the other’s back, feeling the fresh skin.

With a shudder he recalled back to the morning when he’d woken up with Levi in his arms. His hands had absently begun caressing the man’s back, but he jolted awake at the texture. He rolled Levi so he was fully on his stomach and saw that the scales that had formed the previous night had completely molted and were barely hanging onto his skin. It was horrifying but all the same _fascinating._ The witcher slowly and carefully peeled the layer of dried scales from Levi’s back, revealing soft and completely healed skin beneath.

He’d not been able to keep his hands off this new skin ever since. Even now he was loathe to remove his hands from the other man’s back. His fingers continued to trail over shoulder blades as Eren embraced him.

Levi gave a little annoyed wiggle and the witcher finally released him. “You should go, I’ll be at your side in no time,” the man assured him, lifting a hand to cup Eren’s face. Eren smiled and leaned in to press a lingering kiss to his lover’s lips.

“I’ll be waiting.”

Eren joined Sasha and Connie and the trio made their way slowly towards the grove, the forest growing deathly quiet around them as they got closer. Eren could feel them, the many sharp eyes watching them from the trees and brush around them, but he could never catch sight of them, nor could he hear them as they deftly and surely followed them as they neared the grove.

The witcher chanced a look at Sasha, the dryad woman was marching forward with a strong look of determination on her face. Just passed her he could see Connie; his fear blatant, but still he walked forward.

“Voe'rle,” a voice commanded them to halt. Eren glanced around and finally laid his eyes upon the source of that elegant voice.

She emerged from the trees, a tall woman with long black hair pulled back into many thin braids that cascaded down her back. Her face was stoic, a pointed nose and her chin held high, adding to her regal appearance. She was dressed in foliage and flowers like Sasha was, but far more decorative. A blanket of woven leaves and small blossoms flowed down from her hips and trailed on the ground behind her as she moved forward, the pigments of the blossoms changing as the light reflected from them, the luminescence nearly seeming to shroud her in glowing radiance.

Without introduction, Eren knew exactly who she was. This ethereal being before him with such a presence of regality that he felt the urge to kneel before her… the sovereign of the grove. The mother of the dryad tribe.

“Sovereign Ellaine,” Sasha greeted as she bowed respectfully.

“ _Saskia, or Sasha, I should say. Why have you returned? Your presence is no longer welcome among the sisters.”_

The sovereign had spoken in the old tongue, and Eren was silently grateful he could understand. Connie just appeared to be even further frightened than before as he surely had no idea what the woman had said.

Sasha did not back down, instead she stood straighter and leveled her gaze with the sovereign. _“I issue challenge to your rule.”_

There were collective gasps from the trees as Sasha made her declaration, but the sovereign mother merely laughed. _“You think_ you _are a better fit as sovereign than I? You? The defender of men?”_ she spat.

 _“I do!”_ Sasha shouted, her shoulders rising in defiance. “ _How many sisters have been lost in this pointless war against the humans? We are of the same blood! If the sisters will follow me, I can vow to mend the relations between dryad and human. No more blood needs to be shed. There are already humans willing to work towards this goal of peace.”_

The forest had fallen silent once more as sovereign Ellaine studied them. The condescending smile from moments ago was gone, replaced with an expression of annoyance. _“Humans willing to work towards peace? Like the two beside you? I say, isn’t that one the slave you released? Well…”_ she paused, a domineering smirk graced her lips as her eyes greedily raked over Connie, _“I should thank you for returning him to us then. My daughters! Seize the males!”_

All at once the forest came alive. Leaves, branches, foliage began to dart and move towards them. It was only when he felt hands grabbing at his arms that the witcher realized they were dryads. He could hear Sasha screaming in elder speech for them to be released, could hear Connie whimpering as he was kicked down to the ground and restrained.

Eren instinctively began to curl into himself in attempt to shield the pup strapped against his chest, reaching for one of his swords with his right hand. But he was too slow. His arm was twisted behind him at an unnaturally intense angle, making him cry out. Even still he bowed forward, using his other hand to protect the dragon whelp.

 _“For your crime of breaking your excommunication I sentence you, Sasha, to beheading! We have no use for sympathizers in this grove!”_ The sovereign's voice rang out.

This was bad. This was as bad as things could have gone. His hands were restrained in a matter of moments, barbed vines digging into his skin as his body was being dragged further into the grove. The dry brush and twigs on the forest floor scraping his back. He felt the pup clawing at the side of the pouch against his chest.

He didn’t know what would become of the pup when they discovered him. He didn’t know what would become of _him_ when they realized he couldn’t be used for procreation. He had lost sight of Connie, and Sasha’s voice was muffled by something.

Just as Eren began to struggle against his bounds once more, a thunderous roar boomed through the forest. The witcher knew that sound, he’d heard it just once before.

_Levi._

The pounding steps of a creature of tremendous magnitude echoed as the beast approached. The dryads holding onto Eren had gone still, heads whipping towards the direction of the sound. Eren managed to sit up in the reprieve and felt a thrill shoot through him at the sight. He didn’t think he would ever get over the awe of Levi’s dragon form.

At the edge of the grove, right behind Sasha, the extraordinary creature stood tall on his hind legs with shimmering wings spread wide. His head lolled to the side as his gaze narrowed in on the sovereign, his giant mouth opening wide to reveal his glistening sharp teeth as he let out a deafening roar that resonated through the witcher’s bones. He could only imagine how the sovereign felt; having that sound directed at her.

The creature dropped down back on all fours, his stance was far different from how he appeared the last time Eren had witnessed him in this form. Before, Levi had seemed almost bored when Nile’s men were threatening him. The witcher remembered how the dragon’s tail back then had been waving absently in the air and how relaxed his posture had seemed.

Not this time. Levi looked _terrifying._

His tail whipped through the air, smacking into branches that snapped and were sent sailing from the force.  His wings were spread wide making him appear even larger. Claws dug into the ground as tension rolled through the muscles of his arms, ready to rend. His head and body were held low, weight on his back legs like a giant cat ready to pounce on his prey.

The sovereign had fallen to her knees, her entire body trembling. She attempted to speak, but the fear lacing through her had gripped her throat and only a quiet rasp made it passed her lips. The other dryads of the tribe seemed to be held captive by the same fear.

If Sasha had been shocked or frightened by Levi’s sudden and aggressive appearance, she had quickly masked it; turning to stand tall in front of the awesome beast and facing the sovereign and the rest of the tribe with her head held high. Looking closer, Eren could see her hands were shaking, but he doubted the other dryads would take notice. To everyone there, it seemed that Sasha held command over this mighty beast, who seemed more than ready to do her bidding.

“ _Sovereign Ellaine. I call upon this beast as my champion; to display my greater communion with this earth and its inhabitants. He is not meant to be your executioner, but should you choose not release my companions I’ll be left with little choice.”_

The sovereign’s eyes were still glued to the dragon in front of her. Horror and panic shook her frame and her lips stuttered to find words.

 _“L-Let the men go! We release them!”_ she managed to get out.

The dryads made no move, too in awe to realize they’d been given an order. But with a snarling grunt from Levi they jumped and scrambled to cut the vines at Eren’s wrists. Eren stood and looked over to see Connie had been cut loose as well and had gotten to his feet, eyes wide and locked onto the dragon. The witcher smiled to himself, feeling proud that his lover could instill such a reaction from so many.

 _“My sisters!”_  Sasha addressed the tribe, _“I vow to you all that I can lead you into a far more prosperous life if you will have me as your sovereign. So I ask: will you have me?”_

The forest fell quiet again, the only sound being the heaving breaths of Levi.

“Caedmodron…” a dryad next to the witcher whispered. He looked to her and saw she was looking right at Sasha. He saw another dryad nod before repeating, “Caedmodron,” in a louder voice.

“Caedmodron!” another voice called out.

“Caedmodron!” yet another answered.

Soon, there was a chorus of dryad voices all hailing Sasha as “Caedmodron.”

_Mother of the Forest._

Sasha smiled triumphantly before she slowly approached the old sovereign, dropping to her knee to be at eye level. The rest of the tribe quieted, eagerly waiting to see what Sasha would have become of the woman who had excommunicated her.

She reached out and took the previous mother’s hands in her own, looking deep into her eyes. _“Ellaine, will you allow me to show you a new way of life?”_

A tear dropped down Ellaine’s cheek as she nodded dumbly, lips quivering. _“You… you will not have me killed?”_

Sasha smiled and shook her head. _“When I was young, you once told me that dryads are children of the earth and we must show her the same kindness she shows us. I intend to extend this kindness to all who will accept it; including you.”_

Ellaine dropped her head as a sob wracked her frame, Sasha moving closer to embrace her as she pulled her to her feet and led her to a nearby group of dryads. Eren, seeing as he was now freed and the tensions seemed to have passed, quickly made his way towards Levi.

The dragon’s posture immediately relaxed when he saw the witcher approaching; his head lowering to rest on the forest floor. Eren reached forward and laid a hand on the thick scales of Levi’s snout.

 _“I told you I’d be with you in no time…”_ Levi’s voice filtered into the witcher’s mind.

Eren smiled and stroked over the scales beneath his palm.

 _“The kid?”_ Levi asked.

“He’s fine,” Eren said, opening the pouch on his chest so the whelp could pop his head up.

_“Good… Let’s get going then?”_

“Sure, let me just say goodbye to Sa- _woa_ Levi what are you _doing?!_ ” Eren practically screeched as Levi nuzzled under Eren’s knees and began nudging the witcher around until he was seated on his snout. Levi lifted his head and Eren instinctively grabbed onto the pup with one hand and one of Levi’s horns with the other.

_“Climb up onto my head, it’s hard to see with you there.”_

“Levi what the _hell!?”_

Levi just snorted in response, so Eren relented and maneuvered to sit on the top of Levi’s head, still gripping at a nearby horn as he got comfortable.

 _“Oi, Dryad we’re off,_ ” Levi addressed Sasha, who had been reintroducing Connie to her sisters but turned with wide eyes at the familiar voice that invaded her mind.

“O-Oh!” she exclaimed before she bowed low before them. “Thank you! Thank you so much! If you're ever in need of something, we are in your debt!” Beside her Connie bowed as well, and soon the entire tribe had lowered their heads in recognition.

Levi snorted again and turned around to begin their journey anew. The witcher’s heart was pattering loudly in his chest. Never in his life did he think he would ride a dragon. Granted, they were still grounded, but Levi’s long neck afforded him a height he wasn’t accustomed to.

Levi moved slowly and surely, careful to avoid any branches. But even at his slow pace, they were moving far faster than they could have on foot. The pup at Eren’s chest was immensely restless, growling and scratching at the pouch until finally, Eren used his free hand to pull the whelp free of his confines.

Immediately the pup spread his tiny wings while Eren held him tightly around his tummy. The breeze from their forward movements must have felt nice to the pup’s inexperienced wings as the small thing made a series of delighted noises.

They stopped once on their way so Eren could grab the clothes Levi had shed earlier, but they made it to their destination sooner than Eren would have liked. He was rather enjoying the ride, and so was the pup who whined noisily when they came to a stop and Levi lowered his head so the witcher could hop down.

Levi had stopped a decent distance from Ragako village so no one would spot the giant dragon. _“Go grab our horses. I’ll watch the kid.”_

By the time Eren had returned with their steeds, Levi had already transformed back into his human form and dressed himself; pup seated on his shoulder. The man quickly closed the distance between them and grabbed the witcher with both hands by the head and pulled him down into a desperate kiss. The dragon whelp happily growled as he pranced in circles around them on their shoulders.

When they broke the kiss, they pressed their foreheads together and stared into each other’s too-close eyes. “I almost lost my shit back there when I saw them dragging you off…” Levi said quietly.

Eren hummed and let go of one of the horse reigns to circle his arm around Levi’s back. “You did look pretty damn scary… I don’t know why I was worried they’d try and attack you. They’d have to be pretty stupid to have tried anything against you.”

“I’m just glad you’re okay, the kid too,” Levi sighed as he lowered his head to rest against the witcher’s chest. The pup had stopped circling around their shoulders and went to climb up on Levi’s head to snort into Eren’s face.

Eren couldn’t help but laugh even as Levi muttered under his breath, “Damn brat…” He knew that both of them were going to have a hard time parting ways with the little thing when the time came…

“At least now we have a better idea of which way to be heading, let’s get saddled up,” Levi said as he stepped back. The whelp must have decided he would rather ride with Eren, as he leapt from Levi’s head with wings spread and glided towards Eren, who quickly grabbed the pup from the air with wide eyes.

He turned his shocked gaze to Levi who was staring with an expression just as stunned.

“Shit… we better find this kid’s mother quickly. She will _not_ be happy if he learns to fly without her…”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lemme know watcha think? ♥
> 
> Also I'm super close to 1k followers on tumblr and I'll be doing a giveaway once I get there. It'll be for followers only so [if you wanna get in on that.](http://nelleri.tumblr.com/) The prizes will probs be anime merch because I am an anime trash blog afterall...
> 
> Anywhale... Thank you for reading!!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day finally arrives...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this chapter is super short and boring x_x Probably only one more chapter after this one!
> 
> Also I'm going to put this link here.. [I drew a lil NSFW thing from last chapter ^~^ ](http://nelleri.tumblr.com/post/128685150550/more-please-please-eren-oh-gods-but-eren)

There were too many things on Eren’s mind. Far too many. They’d continued their trek northward in the direction Connie had told them he’d seen the dragon fly. It had been two days since they left Ragako, and Eren couldn’t quiet the thoughts trampling through his head.

They’d soon be parting with the little dragon that had become such a presence in their lives. Eren wondered if he’d ever get to see him again. He imagined not… And how would Levi handle the separation? The man had already dealt with the loss of his own children so long ago, and there was no doubt in Eren’s mind that Levi had also grown attached to the pup.  

And where would Levi and Eren go after they found the mother? He assumed they would stay with each other, after everything they’d been through it was undeniable that they made an excellent team. He thought back to the day he had parted with Armin and the rest. They’d agreed to meet once again in a fortnight. How long ago had that been? Five, maybe six days? Would he be able to make it to their usual tavern in time?

He was simultaneously eager to hurry to meet again with his dearest friend, but also in no rush to part with the small dragon who’d stirred a surprising amount of affection from him. He’d never seen himself filling the shoes of any sort of father-like role, but he found himself dreadfully attached.

Their quiet evenings had become more solemn, even the pup appeared to feel the somber mood. The moon above seemed to hold the weight over them that another day had passed, and they were another day closer to saying their goodbye.

The whelp no longer needed to cry to sleep with them. Instead Levi would automatically bring the small thing to their spread blankets, letting him cuddle up between the two of them. In the pale moonlight, Eren would watch Levi and the whelp as they drifted to sleep; Levi with his calming deep breaths, and the pup with his quicker rasps through his nose.

The thought struck him that this may be the last night he’d fall asleep to this view, something in his instincts told him it was and his heart _ached._ He lifted an extended finger to stroke over one of the pup’s front paws. The small thing stirred in his sleep; scaled eyelids clenching shut as a small, tired whine wound up in his throat. The tiny paw unconsciously lifted to grab hold of Eren’s finger, little claws gently digging into his skin as his finger was grasped even as the pup was in the clutches of sleep.

He didn’t want to part with the dragon, but he knew it was best that he did. He didn’t have the right or the means to be able to take the baby from his mother and raise him on his own. Levi may have had a better idea on how to raise one of his own kind, but that made it no less right. The pup deserved to be raised among his siblings, by his own mother. Something the witcher himself had been deprived of at such a young age.

And all things considered, a witcher led no type of lifestyle that was suited for childrearing. Even with Levi at his side he couldn’t imagine his ways of living changing all that much. He knew that Levi must have somehow acquired a decent amount of wealth over his centuries of living, enough to afford a stable home, but the witcher would never feel content without the ground moving beneath his feet.

His heartbeat constantly driving him forward in life, to see more, to meet more, to _do_ more. There was no way he could travel to the far reaches of the land and interact with the people he met all while keeping a baby dragon stowed away, especially when the tiny thing inevitably grew to be not so tiny anymore… It was with these heavy, aching thoughts that the witcher finally fell into a fitful sleep.

Feeling as though only a few hours had passed, Eren was awoken by fingers gliding through his hair. Upon opening his eyes he realized it was indeed daylight. He was lying on his back with the pup curled up on his chest. Levi sat at his side, hovering over him to block the bright sun as his fingers tread through his locks lovingly.

The witcher smiled warmly, lifting one hand to rest on the snoozing pup’s back. He wanted to hold onto this moment as long as he could; cool fingers at his scalp, small weight on his chest, in the shadow of the man so near to his heart…

“Morning,” Levi said quietly as to not break the tranquility of the moment.

“Mmm, morn’. It’s not often that you wake up before I do…”

Levi gave him a short smile that failed to meet his silvery eyes. “I couldn’t sleep very well.”

Eren understood. There was something about the night bleeding into this day that felt anxious. Some ominous way the sun lit the sky that marked this day as the final day they would march as a trio. If he could feel it, Levi must have as well.

After a fairly silent breakfast, they saddled up and carried onward. The pup, as per usual, was perched on Eren’s shoulder as he rode next to Levi. Every now and then the dragon would spread his leathery wings and flap them uncoordinatedly. Occasionally he’d get the movements just right and Eren would have to reach up to anchor the little thing before he went tumbling off his shoulder.

“He really wants to fly, doesn’t he?” Eren said as he stopped the pup from falling once again.

Levi merely hummed and kept his eyes forward.

Eren glanced at his lover and noted the slight curl of a frown at his lip. “Something wrong?”

The man beside him sighed and tilted his head to look at him. “He won’t get to fly for long. Eventually he’ll grow too big, and just like the rest of us, he’ll have to stay grounded for the rest of his life. You saw what happened when his mother decided to fly… It’s impossible to not be seen.”

The witcher’s brow furrowed as he crook his neck in order to steal a glance at the whelp futilely flapping away next to his face. He thought back to when Levi had carried him in his dragon form through the forest. Those long gaping steps he took that ushered the wind passed them as they moved forward. He remembered how delighted the little pup had been, being up so high with his wings spread wide… He’d barely get to experience that while he was still small enough to remain hidden.

Eren looked back to Levi and found himself wondering if Levi missed it; if he even remembered what it was like to fly. Before he could stop himself the questions bubbled out between his lips.

“When was the last time you flew?”

Levi was quiet for a moment, eyes lowered as he thought. “I can’t remember the last time… Sometimes in our travels, Mikasa and I would find a secluded and wide open area where I could stretch my wings and maybe hover a bit… but _actually_ flying?” he paused looking up to the blue sky, visible in little splotches through the canopy of leaves above. “I can’t remember…”

Bitterness rose up within the witcher. Once more the fear and ignorance of the human race had prevented another from living how they were meant to live. Elves were meant to live in the forests, with their meticulously built societies and traditional lifestyle. Dwarves were meant to live within the earth, carving into her their grand and beautiful mines. And dragons were meant to soar through the skies, wings spread freely as the world below them passed by.

All Eren wanted was for all living races to live peacefully, free to compose themselves as they saw fit. So many times in his travels he’d stop and try to settle matters between humans and nonhumans. He had stayed clear of the war, knowing that neither side was approaching the problem correctly, vowing to himself that he would do what he could when the he was able. But how could he ever possibly help Levi? The man’s wings had essentially been clipped by the fear of humans.

If they could find someplace where there were no humans, with wide open air…

Just then, the witcher felt a shift in weight on his shoulder and realized in a split second the pup was about to make a leap. Ripped from his thoughts, he quickly grabbed hold of the whelp just as he made to spring forward.

He clicked his tongue as he set the pup in his lap instead. This decision was met with biting nips at his fingers and testy growls but eventually the little dragon gave in and grumpily sat on his rump on Eren’s saddle.

“Think we’re getting close?” Eren asked.

Levi nodded, “Most likely. I’ve been occasionally calling out for her.”

“Really? Why can’t I hear you?”

“Same reason you never were able to hear that annoying little brat’s cries when he’d wakeup.” Levi said, tilting his chin towards the pup. “Dragons typically communicate on a different wavelength than humans. Some dragons learn to tap into the wavelength of humans and elves and the like, some don’t. But regardless we can always hear each other.”

“Huh,” Eren murmured with a small nod. Even though he’d seen Levi in his full dragon form twice now, it was still amazing to him how vastly different they were. He wished to learn even more about these differences but he wasn’t quite sure what questions to ask. He supposed that he would just have to wait for things like this to come up during their time together, which he hoped they’d have plenty of.

They continued on in comfortable silence, a small breeze rustling by them occasionally. Eren noticed a bit of chipperness to the wind, a subtle foreboding of the slow approaching cold season. He was idly wondering how Levi would put up with cold weather given his cold-blooded biology when suddenly the pup straightened up, his head tilting this way and that before he let out a series of howling cries; wiggling restlessly in the witcher’s lap.

Beside him he noticed that Levi had come to a stop, and he too was tilting his head to the side. Eren pulled on the reigns to stop his horse, heaviness in his chest at what he was sure Levi and the pup were hearing.

“She’s near, isn’t she?” Eren asked, trying to keep the disappointment from seeping into his tone.

Levi nodded. “Yeah… she’s near.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The time is nigh!!!! Next chapter will likely wrap things up 
> 
> Thank you to everyone that's stuck with me thus far and to everyone who's left comments and kudos. Y'all have no idea how much even a short comment means for my motivation ♥


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing is forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyyy. This is just a smidge late if anyone even notices XD My birthday was this week so I got a little bit set back. But here it isssss, the final chapter of this part of their lives.

“Just stand straight, don’t say anything, don’t move suddenly…” Levi instructed as they trudged through the foliage. “I’ll explain that you’re to be trusted, but I’m sure you can imagine she’ll be wary of you, especially so near her babes.”

Eren nodded, though Levi wasn’t looking at him. His heart thumped steadily against his ribs with anxiousness. This would be the first dragon aside from Levi that he’d be seeing up close, not to mention it was the mother of the baby he’d been watching over for the past week. For one reason or another, Eren wanted to win some type of approval from her.

Suddenly, Levi stopped in his tracks, holding out a hand to command Eren to stop as well. Eren stood silently, waiting. Meanwhile the pup was having an absolute fit in Levi’s grasp. He hadn’t been able to keep still since Levi said he had heard his mother about an hour ago.

Finally Levi turned to address Eren. “I told her you’re with me, but like I said, just be careful. Don’t do anything that might upset her. Don’t go near the pups. Got it?”

Eren nodded his head once again. Levi took a deep breath, “Alright, come on.”

They stepped through some overgrown brush and into a clearing. Not a natural clearing, Eren could tell by the freshly compacted foliage; the snapped twigs that still shimmered wetly at their point of breakage. The mother must have done it herself.

The witcher lifted his head and looked about the small clearing, his heart still racing. He was just about to ask where she was when a loud, slow thumping came from the cave at the other end of the clearing. Footsteps.

And there she was, emerging from the cave, as tremendous and impressive as Levi even without that silvery sheen. Instead she was a dark grey, her crown of horns about her head seemed shorter than Levi’s, but her overall size seemed to be larger, even if just marginally. She towered over them, her wings uncurling from her back and her long neck stretching upwards. The sunlight illuminated the thin leatheriness of her wings, making them glow with a dull orange.

She was magnificent, and Eren could do no more than stare in reverence at her greatness. How could humans want to destroy a creature so magnificent? So beautiful and powerful.

“God damnit!” Levi groused, breaking Eren from his mystified stupor. He let out the breath he’d been holding and looked to see the pup finally breaking from Levi’s grasp and flinging forward with tiny wings spread to glide to the ground, his high pitch cries sounding nearly like he was crying.

The witcher watched as the pup ran forward, faster than his little legs could carry him; stumbling over himself all while crying out in sheer happiness. Two small figures ran forward to meet the pup halfway through the clearing. Small and grey just like him; his siblings.

They crashed into each other, letting out growls and squeaks of uncontrollable joy at having been reunited, tumbling over one another and biting playfully. Finally, the pup made it across the clearing, his siblings never stopping their excited romping at his return.

The mother lowered her head, her tail coiling around to pull her babes closer to her as she nuzzled into them with her massive snout; a low rumbling coming from deep in her throat as she soothed the hysteric whelps.

The heart-touching scene only furthered the witcher’s realization that _this_ is where the pup belonged. This is what was right, no matter how painful it may end up being to part ways. He couldn’t take the pup from his rightful place under his mother’s wing.

After a few moments of watching the mother croon over her children, she lifted her head and let her glimmering, dark grey gaze settle on the witcher. Her eyes slid towards Levi momentarily, and in his peripheral, Eren saw Levi nod his head.

The witcher felt slightly out of place, knowing there was a conversation occurring between the two adult dragons that he wasn’t able to hear. He shifted awkwardly waiting for Levi to tell him what was going on.

He felt a cool touch at his hand, and looked down to see Levi curling his fingers around his own, the man’s gaze still locked with the mother dragon. Eren glanced towards her again and noted how her gaze had softened. Her hard brow-ridge lined with horns would forever make her look angry, but Eren could see passed that. He could see the scaled skin around her eyes and jaw relax, her grey eyes becoming more gentle as she looked once more towards the witcher. Her mighty head stooped once, in what seemed like a slow nod of recognition and Eren found himself lowering his head as well.

A terse moment passed and Eren heard a familiar growl as the pup came crawling back towards them, his two siblings in tow. The witcher froze, unsure of what to do as they approached him. Levi had said not to go near the pups, and he feared the reaction the mother may have.

“It’s okay,” Levi said quietly, most likely noting the fear and apprehension on Eren’s face. He rubbed his thumb over Eren’s wrist before releasing his hand. “She’s acknowledged you. And she wants you to know that she’s eternally grateful for your help.”

Eren’s breath was caught still in his throat, unsure of how to react. He looked towards the mother dragon who had lowered herself to lay on the ground, her watchful eyes already on him but without any threat or malice.

The pups had reached him and were circling around his feet. They looked so similar, but Eren had no trouble identifying the pup he’d grown so close to over the past week. Something in the structure of his little face that was his alone, that held all of his uniqueness and personality. Not to mention he was the only one clawing at his boot to be picked up while the other two continued circling around him, sniffing frantically at his person.

Slowly, Eren knelt down and offered his hand out for the two siblings to sniff at to their pleasure. One of them tested the waters by biting gently at one of his fingertips, but Eren only smiled.

“What are their names?” he asked aloud.

He heard the crunching of dirt below boots and noticed Levi kneeling down beside him, also reaching out a hand toward the babes. The siblings seemed far less cautionary when they went to sniff at his hand, quickly moving to nuzzling into his palm. Eren wondered if they could tell Levi was of their kind by scent alone.

“I can’t really answer that in Common Tongue…” Levi mused. “Because we converse telepathically… I can’t really put their names into something audible.”

Eren nodded in understanding, though he was saddened he still didn’t know what to call the little pup that was now clambering over his knees and yipping at his siblings. Said siblings quickly lost interest in Levi and scuttled back to Eren. The witcher heard Levi breathe out a laugh.

“He’s trying to introduce you to them properly.”

Eren smiled warmly at the thought as he watched the pup leap down from his place on his lap to go nudge his siblings towards him. The other small dragons still seemed reluctant to get too close to him, but after some encouragement they haltingly stepped up onto Eren’s thighs. Overjoyed at this, the pup then clawed its way up Eren’s jerkin to sit on his shoulder; his usual perching spot.

“She says she’s glad that of all the humans in the world that may have come across her pups, that it’s you. She says…” Levi paused, swallowing throatily, “She says you give her hope.”

Eren felt the familiar prickling sensation of tears building in his eyes as his heart soared from that word; _hope._ It was a word that so often he forgot, a word that his entire world view hung on but occasionally he would be so deep in the drowning waters of the hardships and hatred in the world that he would lose sight of that glimmering light.

That light he felt sparked from people he met, like Hanji, Erwin, Mike, Sasha and Connie; people who were willing to fight for the right and just. People willing to work towards the peace he so desperately sought after. To know that he had sparked that same light of hope to this great and awesome creature before him left him too stunned for words.

He was overwhelmed by the flood of need to right the world, to make the world better for creatures like the small, unsuspecting whelps crawling around on his lap. Hope wasn’t enough…

The mother dragon shifted, pulling Eren’s attention towards her as she slowly approached them, keeping her body low. When near enough, she hung her head over Eren and plucked the pup off his shoulder with her teeth, much to the tiny thing’s annoyance.

She set the pup on the ground and nudged him around until he lay on his back. The pup was whining and clawing at her in what looked to be embarrassment. There was a small _click_ sound and the pup was let go as she returned her head to Eren. Her lids lowered in a slow blink, so near that Eren could feel the mighty puffs of breath leaving her nostrils. Her head was definitely larger than Levi’s was, and at Eren’s knelt height, he was overcome by how truly enormous she was.

“Put out your hand,” Levi said quietly from beside him.

Eren dazedly obeyed, lifting his hand with his palm upturned. The mother leaned over slightly until her chin grazed his fingertips. Eren’s pulse was thrumming so loudly it was all he could hear in his ears as he remained frozen, watching as she opened her mouth slightly.

He felt something drop into his palm, something small like a pebble, but he couldn’t break his gaze from the dragon before him. She moved away, taking large steps backwards as her head lowered to him.

Finally, no longer overcome by her closeness, Eren looked down to see a tiny claw in his hand. It struck him that this was his farewell present; the clipped claw of the pup he had helped to save. His fingers closed over it and he curled in on himself, knowing that within moments he would be leaving the pup behind and only this small claw would serve as a reminder of their time together.

The tears had broken past his lash line, but he held in the sobs even as he felt Levi’s hand caressing his back soothingly. He looked up to the man and saw the telling redness of his glistening eyes that revealed that this was no easier for Levi.

“It’s time we go, Eren.”

The witcher’s throat desperately closed around a sob as his fist clenched tightly around the claw held inside. In front of him, the pup was watching him with his head tilted to the side, worry swimming in those familiar grey depths.

He reached out and pressed his hand to the back of the pup’s long neck, leaning forward to give him a peck on the top of his little head. His siblings who now sat at his side seemed confused by the display, but the pup seemed to finally grasp what was happening as Eren and Levi stood.

Eren looked towards the mother once more and bowed low, hoping the gesture showed the deep amount of respect he held towards her. As he made to turn around he glanced at the pup once more and had to quickly look away from the hurt confusion he saw. He hadn't known just how well those reptilian eyes could convey emotions... 

Eren and Levi began their walk back to their horses, the small cries from the pup behind them not going unheard. Against his better judgment, the witcher looked over his shoulder before they stepped out of the clearing.

The pup was being held back by his mother’s large clawed hand as he desperately tried to run after them, his shrill whines calling out to them; wordlessly begging them not to go. The pain in Eren’s chest blossomed out from his core to engulf his entire body, halting his movement as the crushing weight of the moment beared down on him.

He felt cool fingers sliding into his, gripping him tightly. He looked to Levi and saw the tears streaking down the man’s face.

“We have to go, Eren,” Levi’s voice sounded raw. He was as much telling Eren they needed to go as he was asking Eren to give him the strength to continue on.

Eren returned the clutching grasp, his other hand still tightly holding onto the claw; his final memento of the week passed. With a resolute nod, Eren continued walking forward.

As the breaking cries faded behind them, he reminded himself that this was what was right. That he couldn’t be selfish. He had to let the pup go; he had to let go.

By the time they reached their horses, they could no longer hear the pup’s cries. Eren wasn’t sure if he preferred that as the silence settled over him with a sort of finality. The pup was behind them now. He looked down at the claw in his hand, eternally grateful that the mother had given him something to remember their time together by.

With the claw tucked safely in his breast pocket, Eren set to tightening his saddle on his steed, when he felt arms wrap around him. He turned around in Levi’s grasp, curling his own arms around the other’s shoulders. Levi kept his head bowed, forehead pressing into Eren’s chest.

“Shall we carry on?” Eren said quietly as he stroked his hand through Levi’s hair.

He felt Levi nod against his chest, but the man made no move to let go. They stood there among the trees, wrapped in each other’s comforting embrace.

“At least we finally got rid of that brat…” Levi murmured. His voice was muffled by Eren’s shirt, but he could hear the pain underlying his tone.

Eren smiled against the tears and nodded, tightening his hold around the other. They would carry on, in time...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll start work on the interlude soon so hopefully it won't take too long for it to be posted ^_^ Thank you for everyone who's read this series and commented or left kudos. You guys mean the world to me and ily~
> 
>  
> 
> [♥tumblr♥](http://nelleri.tumblr.com/)  
> [my doodles for this series](http://nelleri.tumblr.com/tagged/witcher%20au%20doodles)  
> [Fanart!](http://nelleri.tumblr.com/tagged/fic:caerme)


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